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<title>Somewhere by LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903848">Somewhere</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley'>LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mother of the Year (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Family, Family Drama, Gen, Homelessness, Money, Starting Over</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:41:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28903848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Years ago, Tara and Zoey were evicted.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Main Character &amp; Main Character's Daughter (Mother of the Year)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Somewhere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"No, God no." Tara said under her breath, the blood draining from her face as she picked up the pace. "No, no, no, no, <em>no</em>!"</p><p>She came to a stop a step from the pile, already noticing all that was missing from their belongings. The tiny television set, even the old VHS tapes remained. All of her clothes. All of the child’s clothes. The astronaut blanket that she often found Zoey staring at, as if he was trying to work out what this thing was that could take her to far, strange and new worlds, away from the misery she faced with her mother.</p><p>She shifted Zoey to her other arm and cleared her throat. Dave Ford, the landlord to their slum apartment complex, was exiting his office, bringing a lighted cigarette to his yellowed-teeth mouth.</p><p>Forcing herself to stand up straight and walk authoritatively with a three-year-old on her hip, she marched toward him.</p><p>"Mr. Ford!" She shouts, exuding a confidence she did not have.</p><p>"Take a hike, Tara." The man said, dismissively. "I'm done with your excuses."</p><p>"You can't do this!" She said, exhaling so forcefully it sounded as if the last of her soul was leaving her body. "We have nowhere to go!"</p><p>"Ms. Day." He said, as exasperated as he would be explaining it to Zoey. "You are fourteen days late on your rent. That means you're out of here. I made that very clear on Tuesday. I have a business to run and I can't have people tire-kicking. You were twelve days late last month, and another twelve the month before. After you begged me to let you rent in the first place."</p><p>"I haven't found a babysitter that Zoey is comfortable with nor a job that will let me bring her. I've left messages for my boyfriend. He'll send the money with interest, like last time, I just need..." She looked over her shoulder at the pathetic pile at the curb and her voice faltered a little. "I just need two more days. Please. I have a daughter."</p><p>The landlord flicked his cigarette butt off to the side. "That's not my damn fault."</p><p>"Please, Mr. Ford." She said again, but he was already walking away, into the office, closing the door and flipping the sign in the window to 'closed'.</p><p>She stood still, staring at the sign, and when she spoke again, it was a thin whisper. "It's getting dark."</p><p>She stood there for several minutes, composing herself. She felt as if the world was falling apart all around her, and all she wanted was to cry. She could not do that, however, she had to power through.</p><p>"Come on, baby." The young mother said, finally. "Mom has to talk to Mr. Ford again, but he's busy right now. Want to go walk around? It'll be some nice quiet after the craziness today."</p><p>She set her down, reaching for her hand. She never took her hand willingly, something that she had just begun noticing, but he applied pressure, looking up at her with large, uncertain eyes.</p><p>"Walking is nice." she said. "I have a little bit of money, let's find a place to make a call."</p><p>It took thirty minutes to find a pay phone, and Tara shoved her last coins into the slot. "Guy, can you call..."</p><p>"<em>Who is it?</em>" A woman talked over the line.</p><p>The voice was unfamiliar.</p><p>"I-I'm sorry ma'am." She said, thrown off. "I'm looking for Guy Ledford. He was staying at this number?"</p><p>The voice scoffed. Guy must have slighted her too. "<em>He left last month. I don’t know how to reach him.</em>"</p><p>It took all the control Tara had to not start shaking. He had never even received her request for help with rent.</p><p>She slammed down the phone, looking down at Zoey. "Okay, Mom made her phone call. Let's go."</p><p>"Where?" She asked, quietly. Her eyes were shining at her, as if she was expecting a grand answer.</p><p><em>I don't know, honey. I don’t know.</em> She thought.</p><p>"Somewhere." The woman said, instead. "We're going somewhere, and I'll know when we get there, okay?"</p><p>The blonde nodded weakly, as she was unsatisfied with the answer. "Okay."</p><p>She took the girl’s hand again, and they marched on.</p><p>The evening news was on. She could see it through the restaurant they were standing outside of. There was a dumpster in the back; they'd walked right by it.</p><p>Tara's stomach turned at the idea that their next meal might be in there.</p><p>She felt in her pockets. She had six dollars left. The money was less stressful to her than the lighting.</p><p>Darkness was falling fast. She has seen once, on TV, a story about a woman who had pushed a dumpster away from a wall, flipping the lid back for a roof, and sleeping underneath it. This restaurant's dumpster was near a corner.</p><p>She could put Zoey between her body and the wall.</p><p>Tara almost jerked on her daughter’s hand in decisiveness as she marched away in the opposite direction.</p><p><em>No</em>. She thought, tears coming to her eyes. <em>If she gets tired, I will carry her through the night. My daughter will not sleep on the streets.</em></p><p>She estimated that she had put six or seven blocks between herself and that restaurant when she stopped at a crosswalk and glanced at the businesses kitty corner from where she stood.</p><p>One of them had a sign in the window. Closed, it probably said. She blew out a quick breath, her bangs flying.</p><p>Then...</p><p>As she got closer, her heart began to pound. The sign did not say closed.</p><p>
  <em>Help Wanted.</em>
</p><p>She was less than ten paces from the door when she stopped, causing Zoey to look at her with confusion. Her mind was racing. How many blocks back was that Dollar Tree? She thought just one.</p><p>"Want to help Mom with something?" She asked, crouching down in front of her son. "I need a comb, deodorant and a toothbrush. Where can I get that for six dollars?"</p><p>Zoey pointed the way they had come. "Dollar Tree. One block."</p><p>She picked her up. Her eyelids were drooping, but she still power-walked back to the store. Three plus dollars and fifteen minutes later, she thought she could pull off an interview.</p><p>"Okay, Zoey." The older one said. "Let's go talk to that guy who owns that little store we were by earlier."</p><p>"What's an ice cream cost?" she asked the man, putting on a smile, wishing she could ask where the bathroom was because her stomach felt like it was being bulldozed.</p><p>"1,99 for a single scoop. 2,29 for a double."</p><p>"Can I get a double of vanilla, please?" she said. "For her?"</p><p>He nodded gruffly, disappearing into the back.</p><p>Tara set Zoey down in a booth in the corner.</p><p>"I'm getting you some ice cream." She said. "I'm going to talk to this guy and see if maybe I can work here. Now, it's late, so if you could just sit here quietly and eat while we talk, everything will be okay."</p><p>Her shiny eyes befell the mother once again. "It will?"</p><p>There was a slight tremor in his voice, and Tara swallowed hard before responding, nodding along with her words.</p><p>"Yeah. I promise. In fact…" She said, as the worker approached once more, setting the ice cream down in front of Zoey. "I swear on this scoop of ice cream."</p><hr/><p>"Well…" The manager said, scratching the back of his head a few minutes into their conversation. "To tell you the truth, I haven't had anyone apply for this job, much less someone as willing to work as you. I've had problems with lazy employees in the past. I can't afford to have someone not work out."</p><p>"I can't afford that either." Tara said, nodding slowly, doing her hundredth mental check of how her body language was presenting itself.</p><p>"You can start tomorrow?"</p><p>She nodded. "Yes. I do have a request."</p><p>"Oh yeah?"</p><p>"Yeah, um..." <em>No, not um. </em><em>You can't hesitate.</em> "I need an advance. Two weeks. Forty hours. Just so my daughter can sleep in a bed tonight. I know you're thinking, why do that, you don't know her, but..." Tara's voice gained traction. "Here's a couple reasons why you should…"</p><hr/><p>"Tired." Zoey said, rubbing her eyes.</p><p>"I know," Tara said, tousling his hair. "We're both tired. You pick what side of the bed you want, okay?"</p><p>"Left side." Zoey decided promptly. "Radiator is cheap. Loud."</p><p>"Okay." Tara pulled the covers back, watching her tiny daughter curl up and then tucking it around her. She headed back to the door to double check the lock, then sank down on the bed next to Zoey, rubbing her back. She began to sing to her quietly, in the low tone that always seemed to relax her.</p><p>The girl was out in a matter of minutes.</p><p>Tara let out a deep, heavy sigh, running a hand back through her hair. She sat there for a long time, staring down at her child, barely visible in the dark. Then she removed her hand from her back and headed into the bathroom.</p><p>That diner would save their lives, would feed them for a time. She would need a second job to afford a place to live. They would be eating cheap food for months and she would walk through her shoes before she'd buy another pair. They would get back on their feet and they would go...</p><p><em>Somewhere</em>.</p><p>Tara would find their Somewhere someday. This job would sustain her and Zoey until they found it. They were one of the lucky ones. She knew it. But she was still terrified of what lay ahead and exhausted from keeping it together all evening long and providing her daughter with a bit of stability in a day when everything had literally fallen apart.</p><p>More importantly, for right now, she was tired of being strong.</p><p>Tara turned on the shower, and then sank down on the floor in front of the toilet. She curled up in a ball and sobbed so hard she was certain the entire hotel shook with her.</p><p>In the next room, Zoey slumbered on.</p>
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